Snowboarding has been a rapidly growing winter sport for nearly two decades. Most recently, snowboarding has enjoyed its first year as an official Olympic sport. Traditional skis are designed so that each foot of the skier (within its own boot) is firmly fastened to its own ski, oriented along the center line of the ski. Unlike skis, a snowboard is used by fastening both feet with boot bindings to a single board. The snowboard is ridden in a standing position facing sideways with the feet positioned side by side, with some separation. In other words, the feet are positioned transversely across the snowboard. In particular, one foot is fixed near the front of the board and the other foot is fixed near the back of the board, with the toes directed toward the same side of the board. Snowboarding is somewhat comparable to surfing except on a surfboard the surfboarder's feet are not bound with the board.
Once a snowboarder's feet are positioned transversely across the snowboard, the snowboarder travels down the ski slopes in much the same manner as a surfer "surfs " ocean waves, or a skateboarder travels downhill. In particular, the snowboarder shifts his or her body weight backward and forward, side-to-side and with heel-to-toe pressure to apply body forces and torque to control the snowboard's direction of travel and turns in a downhill snowboard run.
Presently, there are generally two types of boot binding mechanisms used to fix and control the necessary transverse position of each foot on the snowboard during the downhill run. The first type of binding is a soft boot binding which are classified into two different categories. The first type soft boot bindings are commonly referred to as the frame and strap type binding. These soft boot bindings incorporate a boot binding frame, usually with raised sides and back, fixed to a snowboard, with some limited means of adjustment depending on the size of the foot. Usually, the binding frame can be adjusted relative to the snowboard by first removing the boot from the binding frame and loosening or removing the fasteners which hold the binding frame to the snowboard. Straps, buckles, and fasteners are mounted onto this boot binding frame to facilitate strapping or binding of a snowboarder's soft boots into the boot binding frame and thereby onto the snowboard in a firm and fixed transverse downhill position.
The second type of soft boot bindings, which are called the step-in latch type, incorporate a boot binding frame, some without raised sides and back, fixed to a snowboard, with some limited means of adjustment. Usually, the binding frame can be adjusted relative to the snowboard by removing the boot and loosening or removing the fasteners which hold the binding frame to the snowboard in a fixed transverse position. This type of snowboard boot binding frame usually has various other mating and locking devices, such as bails and latches, which are built into and/or attached to the bottom or sides of the boot and to parts of the boot binding frame fastened to the top of the snowboard.
The second type of boot binding mechanisms are hard boot bindings. Hard boot bindings incorporate a hard boot binding frame, which has hard protrusions. The hard boot binding frame is also fixed to a snowboard. These binding frames generally include a toe clip and a heel clip, or bails, to fasten a snowboarder's hard boot onto the hard boot binding frame and thus into a fixed transverse downhill position. These bindings are similar to early ski bindings, but are fixed transversely across the snowboard.
There are problems associated with the above-described boot binding mechanisms. One problem is that soft boot or hard boot bindings generally require that the snowboarder must preselect the precise angle of transverse foot position most suitable for the individual snowboarder's style. After the bindings are fastened on to the top of the snowboard, the transverse foot position is locked into the binding's orientation and usually may not be rotated without the use of a tool, once the boot is removed from the binding frame. With both feet locked transversely into the snowboard this way, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for a snowboarder to move across level areas of snow, up slight inclines, along in chair-lift lines and onto the chair-lift.
Therefore, when moving on level areas, and into and through chair-lift lines, the customary practice is for the snowboarder to remove his or her back foot from its binding, leave his or her forward foot fixed into its binding in the transverse position, and then try to propel himself or herself and the snowboard along in a scooter/skateboard fashion. With the forward foot locked in the preselected transverse position and the other foot out of the binding, even a casual observer can see the front foot (and thus the front leg) is contorted to one side, forcing the snowboarder to walk in an extremely pigeon-toed manner. This obviously results in undue stresses to the snowboarder's joints and body. It is therefore quite clear that there are two distinct foot positions needed for snowboarding activity: (1) a personally preselected transverse downhill position and (2) a natural, comfortable forward walking position.
Another problem with the present snowboard binding mechanisms is that when only one foot is attached, the contorted pigeon-toed orientation of the attached foot tends to cause a lack of control. The back of a snowboard tends to fishtail or move erratically from side to side as the snowboarder tries to travel across flat areas, such as in chair-lift lines. Chair-lift lines are particularly troublesome because they are often narrow with many lines abreast. Thus, skiers and snowboarders must travel with both feet and skis oriented parallel and in the line of travel through the chair-lift line in order to avoid other persons' skis and snowboards. Snowboarders especially have difficulty in such lines because of the fishtailing and erratic uncontrolled movement of the snowboard which often knocks into and over skis of nearby skiers.
In addition, for the same reason, while the snowboarder is riding chair-lifts with other skiers, the snowboard tends to hang at a sideways angle, rather than pointing straight forward in a position parallel with the skis of the other riders on the chair-lift. Here again, the snowboard often bangs into or on top of adjacent skis much to the discomfort of skiers since chipping and scratching of their equipment can and does occur.
Another problem with the present snowboard binding mechanisms is that they tend to cause personal physical discomfort and injury. Snowboarders experience stress to their joints from undue torque and strain on their ankle, knee, and hips when walking pigeon-toed style. While younger participants in the sport may not notice detrimental physical effects when they are happening, they often suffer the consequences later on. Wiser participants in the sport recognize and experience the adverse effects of this contorted position.
The present snowboard binding mechanisms tend to look extremely uncomfortable and hard to maneuver. When snowboarders are moving along in chair-lift lines, or riding up on chair-lifts, they lack dignity and style due to the extremely awkward, pigeon-toed (transverse foot) positioning of their feet. The sport of skiing has long made style and dignity important aspects of life on the slopes. The present state of the art, that is, the pigeon-toed configuration, of snowboarding lacks elements that would permit such dignity and style.
As a result of these problems, some ski resorts prohibit or restrict snowboarding. A number of binding attachment devices have been applied to permit rotation of the bindings relative to the snowboard but, to date, none of these approaches allow the user to automatically make instantaneous positioning and repositioning of the boot binding for the snowboarder's forward foot from the transverse downhill position into the natural walking forward foot position and then back again to the transverse downhill position, without the use of tools and with only a single lever action for the whole cycle.
There are several patents directed to release bindings or rotational adjustment bindings for snowboards, which include U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,227, issued to Lauer; U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,492, issued to Fardie; U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,755, issued to Metzger; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,837, issued to Hale, et al. These patents are directed to releasable locking mechanisms and levers to disengage a rotational mechanism to permit rotation of a snowboard binding without removing the boot or use of external tools. None of these devices, however, provides automatic positioning, locking, repositioning and locking of the binding to and from the forward walking foot position to the preselected transverse foot position.
Other patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,356,200 and 5,190,341, both issued to Carpenter, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,216, issued to Ratzek; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,654, issued to Meyer. These patents are directed to making fine adjustments affecting the degree of transverse foot position during downhill runs as dictated by a snowboarder's personal preference or providing a safety release from a binding when a snowboarder takes a fall. It is apparent that these patents are directed toward entirely different objectives and do not solve the above problems.
Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,649, issued to Chamberlin, readily permits changes of foot position, but these changes are from one transverse position to another transverse position for the purpose of providing a snowboard rider with greater responsiveness and enhanced maneuverability during a downhill run. These changes are accomplished by a complex system designed to make angular adjustment by application of body torque during a ride to vary the transverse position and then having the feet return to an original pre-set transverse position, but it applies only during that same downhill snowboard run. Again, it is apparent that this patent is directed toward entirely different objectives and does not solve the above problems.
Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,088 issued to Vetter, shows an adjustable transverse stance angle adjustment capability, which provides quick release of the back boot from back binding of the snowboard, rather than the front binding. Once again, this patent is directed toward entirely different objectives and does not solve the above problems.
One patent which purports to provide adjustability from the transverse downhill position to the chair-lift riding position is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,068, issued to Donovan. While the patent claims that the claimed complex mechanism makes possible quick adjusting from an unlocked position to a second position which can then be locked, it, like the others, does not provide precise or automatic positioning to any preselected position, nor instantaneous return to any precise previous position. Further, this patent does not disclose instantaneous and automatic locking into any preselected position, nor automatic change of position back (and locking) into a preselected transverse downhill position without the use of hands.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a snowboard boot binding system that eliminates or decreases the above discussed problems associated with current snowboard binding systems.